The invention relates to an integrated circuit comprising gate circuits each having a signal input which is formed by a base of a bipolar transistor and at least two signal outputs which are each coupled via a diode to the collector of the bipolar transistor, the signal input comprising means to supply current, the integrated circuit comprising a semiconductor body having a major surface adjoined by the bipolar transistors of the said gate circuits, said transistors each having an emitter zone, a base zone and a collector zone formed by three semiconductor zones of alternate conductivity types located successively in a direction transverse to the major surface, at least the base zone and the collector zone adjoining the major surface, a system of signal connections for connecting the collector zone of a first of the transistors via a first diode junction to the base zone of a second of the transistors and via a second diode junction to the base zone of a third of the transistors, the signal connections comprising paths of conductive material separated from the major surface by an insulating layer and locally extending down to the major surface of the semiconductor body through apertures in the insulating layer.
Integrated logic circuits having gate circuits of this kind are known in various configurations. Reference may be made inter alia to the article "Schottky I.sup.2 L" in "IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits," Vol. SC-10, No. 5, pp. 343-348. The diode junctions in the signal connections between the collectors and the bases are constructed in this embodiment as Schottky junctions, which are provided directly on the collector region in question.
Signal connections having diodes integrated directly on the collector region of a transistor are also sometimes used in types of logic circuits other than I.sup.2 L.